Connie Pardew is a freelance writer based in Reno, Nevada. She began writing in 1994 while working at the local newspaper, focusing primarily of feature and human-interest stories as well as business profiles. Her aviation related material has been printed in various publications including Aerotech News, based in Lancaster, Calif. which caters to the military/defense industry and the Centennial Journal, based in Denver, Colo.
Although she never served in the military, she is very appreciative of persons past and present that serve their country, especially those who worked in secret during the Cold War years. She feels it's important that their story be told.
Pardew was just a child when most of the "Cold Warriors" were working behind the scenes in obscurity, protecting our freedom. "Most people don't realize what was going on during those times," she said. "Little did we know that mysterious black birds were nested in the Nevada desert and a group of committed individuals were devoted to such a project. I feel very privileged to know these individuals and am grateful for their service and dedication."
Connie treasures her fellow "desert friends" and feels blessed to have Joerg among them. Joerg has done a tremendous job with Dreamland Resort and he's an excellent researcher on our favorite secret place.
She loves to visit the Rachel area when she can with her family. She enjoys chatting with the locals and visitors at the Inn. To her, an unrecognizable flying object IS a UFO…..not necessarily a spacecraft with little green men (or women), but perhaps a new technology the military is developing.
Pardew's full time occupation is with Southwest Airlines. She decided life was too short to be fixed in a newspaper office and opted to change in mid-stream. The flexibility of working at Southwest affords her the opportunity to freelance and the chance to fly to various destinations and events (aviation related, of course).
Her goal is to someday write a book about the Roadrunners. She wants to focus predominantly on the "human interest" viewpoint. She wishes to illustrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of both the project personnel and their families. There's been a lot written about the technical components of the program, thus, she wants to show people what it was like to actually live through, and be part of such an important part of our history.
Connie can be reached via email at cmay@powernet.net